ABBA

Swedish pop sensations ABBA are the prime example of why "pop" should never be seen as a dirty word by finger-wagging music snobs - songs like "Waterloo", "Money, Money, Money" and "Dancing Queen" are undeniable slices of pop perfection that prove there's room for bubblegum in any healthy diet.

ABBA were formed in 1970 as the Festfolk Quartet. They performed a caberet act at a Gothenburg, Sweden restaurant. Despite all four members being successful music stars, the Festfolk Quartet was not a success. Roughly 18 months later, in June 1972, the group reemerged as 'Björn, Benny, Agnetha and Anni-Frid' with the single "People Need Love." It was a hit in Sweden and the group, comprised of two couples became permanent. Björn & Agnetha had wed in 1971, while Benny & Frida lived together and wed in 1978.

The group entered the Swedish heats of the Eurovision Song Contest in 1973 with "Ring Ring." They placed third, but had a minor hit throughout Europe with the song.

Finally in 1974, their manager took the initials of the band members Agnetha, Björn, Benny and Anni-Frid to provide the name ABBA. The newly named group made their international breakthrough when they took glam pop to the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest and won with "Waterloo". The song became an international best seller.

After a series of unsuccessful singles (including "Honey Honey," "So Long" and "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do"), the group returned to popularity with the 1975 hit "SOS." The string of hit singles continued uninterrupted, until 1982. Successive album releases spread the band's popularity throughout the world. Such was their popularity that by 1976 the Greatest Hits album sold more than one million copies in the US. The "Fernando" single beat out The Beatles' "Hey Jude" as the longest running #1 single in Australian history. Arrival attracted a broader audience, drawn in by the singles "Money, Money, Money" and "Knowing Me, Knowing You". The album won Best International Album at the UK's BRIT Awards, while "Dancing Queen" reached the No.1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100.

In 1977 the Australian leg of their first world tour was captured on film by director Lasse Halstrom and released as ABBA The Movie. The band had become so successful that demand had outgrown supply - there was a reported three and a half million requests for tickets for two shows at the Royal Albert Hall in London, which unfortunately only holds around 6000.

"ABBA-The Album" was not immediately released so that pressing plants could produce enough copies to keep up with the demand. In the USSR, a copy of that album could cost as much as US$150 on the black market. The group were rumored to be mroe profitable than Volvo cars, a fact which they claim was fabricated by the press.

Times and tastes were changing at end of the 70s, and so did ABBA. The group released the disco-flavoured "Voulez-Vous"album in 1979. Another world tour came that year, as well as a second volume of greatest hits.

In 1980, their fabulous "Super Trouper" album drew pre-release orders of one million copies in the UK. Björn and Agnetha divorced in 1979, as described in the painful lyrics to the 1980 single "The Winner Takes it All", but the band remained together. In 1981 Benny and Anni-Frid divorced too, the sentiments surround their split on "When All Is Said And Done" from the band's final original album "The Visitors."

After celebrating ten years of success with the double album "The Singles, The First Ten Years" (which featured two less than successful new singles "The Day Before You Came" and "Under Attack"), the band finally split in December 1982.

After ABBA, Björn and Benny still had international success collaborating with Tim Rice on the musical Chess, which included the hits "One Night In Bangkok" and "I Know Him So Well".

Frida recorded two English language solo albums during the 80's, and enjoyed an international hit single with "I Know There's Something Going On." She recorded a comeback album, in Swedish, in 1996.

Agnetha recorded three English language solo albums before retiring from the music business in 1988. She recorded a comeback album in 2004 called "My Colouring Book."

ABBA's music enjoyed a revival starting in 1992, with the release of the "ABBA Gold" compilation. Their albums continue to sell over a million copies a year.

In addition, the legacy of ABBA lives on today in the stage show and film Mamma Mia!, and the band's catalogue of work is still referenced today by artists such as The Fugees, Madonna and U2.

In December 2009, it was announced that ABBA would be inducted into the Rock-N-Roll Hall Of Fame. The ceremoney took place on March 15, 2010 in New York. ABBA members Benny and Frida were present to accept the honor. Agnetha and Bjorn sent their regrets at not being able to attend.